1. Field
The following description relates to a communication method of a content requester, an intermediate node, and a content owner in a content centric network (CCN).
2. Description of Related Art
Unlike an Internet protocol (IP) that records addresses of a source and a destination in a packet header, a content centric network (CCN) stores a name of desired content in a packet header. Each router in the CCN constructs a routing table with reference to a name of desired content stored in a packet header. The routing table is used to send each content request packet to a location where corresponding content can be found. All network equipment, including a router, may have storage and, thus, may temporarily store content.
Unlike an IP based Internet, in which content may be obtained from an original owner, any intermediate node in a CCN having corresponding content in storage may replay the corresponding content to a content requester. Thus, a CCN promotes transmission paths that are, on average, relatively short. As a result, a CCN may serve to reduce an overall amount of network usage.
However, in a CCN, corresponding content is stored in all available network equipment positioned on a route through which content is delivered after a content request packet is transmitted. For example, the same content can be updated consistently and repeatedly in storage of all network equipment positioned on the route. The route could conceivably include all of the network equipment in a network, thereby requiring repeated and consistent updates of all the storage of a network. This promotes the possibility of inefficient resource use in the network.
For example, certain storage elements of a network may not need updating at a particular point in time. However, in the CCN of the related art, a needs analysis is not performed. Thus, updating is performed without any consideration of an updating need. In addition, a period during which content is stored may be short in comparison with available network resources. Further, since all network equipment may include the same content, an intermediate node excluding the corresponding content may not respond to a content request packet quickly enough to prevent the content request packet from arriving at an original server.
Accordingly, there is a desire for a communication method that manages network resources effectively. For example, there is a desire for a communication method that manages the storing of content in the CCN effectively while content is being simultaneously delivered.